Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Aging characteristics of polylatic acid microplastics and their adsorption on hydrophilic organic pollutants: mechanistic investigations and theoretical calculations

Researchers characterized how polylactic acid microplastics undergo UV and thermal aging in aquatic environments, finding that aging altered surface chemistry, increased hydrophilicity, and enhanced adsorption of heavy metal pollutants—raising concerns about aged biodegradable plastics as carriers of co-contaminants.

2025 Environmental Pollution 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Insights into the Characteristics, Adsorption, and Desorption Behaviors of Polylactic Acid Aged with or without Salinities

Researchers studied how salinity affects the aging process and pollutant adsorption behavior of polylactic acid (PLA) microplastics — a biodegradable plastic increasingly used as a conventional plastic substitute. Seawater aged PLA differently than freshwater, and aged particles adsorbed more contaminants than fresh ones. The study shows that even biodegradable plastics can become environmental pollutants through aging and contaminant accumulation.

2022 Journal of Environmental Engineering 4 citations
Article Tier 2

The effect of UV exposure on conventional and degradable microplastics adsorption for Pb (II) in sediment

Researchers studied how UV aging affects the ability of conventional polyethylene and degradable polylactic acid microplastics to adsorb lead ions from aquatic sediment. They found that UV aging increased the surface area and oxygen content of both plastic types, enhancing their capacity to adsorb heavy metals. The study suggests that weathered microplastics in the environment may be more effective carriers of heavy metal contamination than pristine particles.

2021 Chemosphere 84 citations
Article Tier 2

Aging characteristics of degradable and non-biodegradable microplastics and their adsorption mechanism for sulfonamides

Researchers investigated how aging processes affect the ability of degradable and non-biodegradable microplastics to adsorb sulfonamide antibiotics in aquatic environments. The study found that aging increased the hydrophilicity and polarity of microplastics, boosting the adsorption capacity of polylactic acid by up to 3.18 times, suggesting that weathered microplastics may pose greater ecological risks as carriers of co-existing contaminants.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 53 citations
Article Tier 2

Aging properties of polyethylene and polylactic acid microplastics and their adsorption behavior of Cd(II) and Cr(VI) in aquatic environments

Researchers compared how polyethylene and polylactic acid (PLA) microplastics age in the environment and how that aging affects their ability to absorb heavy metals like cadmium and chromium from water. They found that aging changed the surface chemistry of both plastic types, increasing their capacity to pick up these toxic metals. The findings matter because aged microplastics in the environment may concentrate and transport more pollutants than fresh plastic particles.

2024 Chemosphere 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Insight into the characteristics and sorption behaviors of aged polystyrene microplastics through three type of accelerated oxidation processes

Researchers studied how three different UV-based oxidation processes age polystyrene microplastics and how that aging affects the particles' ability to absorb the chemical bisphenol A. They found that aging significantly increased the surface oxidation and water-attracting properties of the microplastics, altering their pollutant-sorbing behavior. The findings suggest that weathered microplastics in the environment may interact with chemical contaminants differently than fresh ones.

2020 Journal of Hazardous Materials 214 citations
Article Tier 2

Accelerated aging behavior of degradable and non-degradable microplastics via advanced oxidation and their adsorption characteristics towards tetracycline

Researchers compared how biodegradable polylactic acid and conventional polystyrene microplastics age when exposed to advanced oxidation processes, and how aging changes their ability to adsorb the antibiotic tetracycline. They found that polylactic acid degraded more quickly and developed more surface changes during aging, leading to increased antibiotic adsorption. The findings suggest that as biodegradable plastics break down in the environment, they may become more effective at concentrating and transporting chemical contaminants.

2024 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 26 citations
Article Tier 2

An investigation into the effect of UV irradiation and biofilm colonization on adsorption and desorption behavior of polyurethane (PU) microplastics for bisphenol A (BPA)

Researchers investigated how UV light exposure and biofilm growth on polyurethane microplastics affect their ability to absorb and release bisphenol A, an endocrine-disrupting chemical. They found that UV aging increased the microplastics' capacity to absorb BPA, while biofilm colonization reduced it. The study suggests that the environmental history of microplastics significantly influences their role as carriers of harmful pollutants.

2024 Environmental Technology & Innovation 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Surface characteristics and adsorption properties of polypropylene microplastics by ultraviolet irradiation and natural aging

This study examined how aging and UV light change the surface properties of polypropylene microplastics and their ability to absorb other pollutants. UV-aged microplastics absorbed significantly more of a common dye pollutant, while naturally aged particles absorbed less due to biological film buildup. Understanding how microplastics change over time in the environment matters because aged particles may carry different levels of harmful chemicals than fresh ones.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 36 citations
Article Tier 2

Aging behavior of biodegradable polylactic acid microplastics accelerated by UV/H2O2 processes

Researchers used UV and hydrogen peroxide to simulate environmental aging of biodegradable polylactic acid (PLA) microplastics, finding that PLA microplastics undergo significant surface and structural changes during weathering that alter their environmental behavior and persistence.

2023 Chemosphere 27 citations
Article Tier 2

Increased adsorption of diflubenzuron onto polylactic acid microplastics after ultraviolet weathering can increase acute toxicity in the water flea (Daphnia magna)

Researchers found that UV-weathered biodegradable polylactic acid microplastics absorbed significantly more of the pesticide diflubenzuron than conventional PET microplastics, leading to greater toxicity in water fleas. The weathering process created more surface cracks and functional groups on the biodegradable plastic, increasing its ability to carry harmful chemicals. The study challenges the perception that biodegradable plastics are inherently safer, showing they may actually enhance pesticide toxicity in aquatic environments after environmental aging.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Investigation on the adsorption and desorption behaviors of antibiotics by degradable MPs with or without UV ageing process

Scientists compared how original and UV-aged polylactic acid (PLA) — a biodegradable plastic — adsorbs and desorbs the antibiotics tetracycline and ciprofloxacin relative to PVC, finding that UV aging changed PLA's surface more dramatically and increased its capacity to carry and release these drugs.

2020 Journal of Hazardous Materials 416 citations
Article Tier 2

Atrazine sorption on biodegradable microplastics: Significance of microbial aging

Researchers found that soil microbial aging of biodegradable microplastics — polylactic acid (PLA) and PBAT — significantly alters their surface properties and increases their capacity to adsorb the herbicide atrazine, suggesting that biodegradable plastics may pose underappreciated pollutant-transport risks as they break down.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 32 citations
Article Tier 2

UV and chemical aging alter the adsorption behavior of microplastics for tetracycline

Researchers found that UV and chemical aging significantly increased microplastics' capacity to adsorb tetracycline, with biodegradable PBAT showing more dramatic changes in surface properties and adsorption behavior compared to conventional plastics like polystyrene and polyethylene.

2022 Environmental Pollution 135 citations
Article Tier 2

Influence of aging on the affinity between microplastics and organic contaminants

Researchers investigated how UV and UV+H2O2 aging affects the capacity of polystyrene microplastics to adsorb and release pesticides and other organic contaminants, finding that aging-induced surface changes significantly altered adsorption affinity and desorption behavior compared to unaged controls.

2025 SHAREOK (University of Oklahoma; Oklahoma State University; Central Oklahoma University)
Article Tier 2

A Comparison of the Adsorption Behavior of Bisphenol A by Microplastics From Different Sources

Lab experiments showed that UV weathering of four common microplastic types — PVC, polypropylene, polyethylene, and polyolefin resin — consistently increased their ability to adsorb the endocrine-disrupting chemical bisphenol A (BPA) by up to 19%, and in some cases changed the fundamental mechanism of adsorption. Acidic conditions and warmer temperatures amplified uptake, while higher plastic doses diluted it. Since weathered microplastics are what actually exist in the environment, these results suggest that aged particles are more potent BPA carriers than fresh plastic, worsening hormonal disruption risks in aquatic ecosystems.

2026 Water Environment Research
Article Tier 2

Adsorption properties and mechanism of Cu(II) on virgin and aged microplastics in the aquatic environment

Researchers examined how UV aging changes the surface properties of polyamide and polylactic acid microplastics and affects their ability to adsorb copper ions in water. The study found that UV irradiation altered the physical and chemical characteristics of both plastic types, increasing their capacity to bind heavy metals. Evidence indicates that weathered microplastics may act as more effective carriers of heavy metal contaminants in aquatic environments compared to virgin plastics.

2024 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of Diclofenac Sodium by Aged Degradable and Non-Degradable Microplastics: Environmental Effects, Adsorption Mechanisms

Researchers found that UV aging of both polystyrene and biodegradable PBAT microplastics increased their surface oxidation and hydrophilicity, enhancing their capacity to adsorb the pharmaceutical pollutant diclofenac sodium through surface interaction and pore-filling mechanisms.

2022 Toxics 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Change in adsorption behavior of aquatic humic substances on microplastic through biotic and abiotic aging processes

Researchers found that both UV irradiation and microbial aging of polyethylene microplastics significantly altered their surface chemistry, changing how aquatic humic substances adsorb onto the plastic surface and highlighting the importance of weathering state in assessing microplastic-contaminant interactions.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 36 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption behaviors of chlorpyrifos on UV aged microplastics

Researchers investigated how UV aging affects the adsorption of the pesticide chlorpyrifos on biodegradable and non-degradable microplastics, finding that UV irradiation significantly modified plastic surfaces and enhanced their capacity to carry organic pollutants.

2023 Marine Pollution Bulletin 49 citations
Article Tier 2

Bisphenol A sorption on commercial polyvinyl chloride microplastics: Effects of UV-aging, biofilm colonization and additives on plastic behaviour in the environment.

Researchers studied how UV aging and biofilm growth affect the ability of commercial PVC microplastics to adsorb and release bisphenol A, an endocrine-disrupting chemical. The study found that UV exposure and biofilm colonization generally increased adsorption capacity, but the effect varied depending on the plastic's additive composition, suggesting that commercial additives play an underappreciated role in how microplastics transport pollutants in the environment.

2024 Environmental Pollution 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Photo-Aging of Biodegradable Polylactic Acid Microplastics

Researchers investigated the photo-aging of polylactic acid (PLA) microplastics, finding that UV exposure caused fragmentation that increased total particle numbers while decreasing average particle size. The study provides quantitative data on how biodegradable PLA plastics generate secondary microplastics through photoaging, a previously poorly characterized degradation pathway for this widely used industrial bioplastic.

2024 E3S Web of Conferences
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of levofloxacin by ultraviolet aging microplastics

Researchers studied how ultraviolet aging changes the ability of common microplastics to adsorb the antibiotic levofloxacin. The study found that UV-aged polystyrene, polyamide, and polyethylene microplastics all showed significantly enhanced adsorption capacity compared to their unaged counterparts, suggesting that weathered microplastics in the environment may carry higher pollutant loads.

2023 Chemosphere 50 citations
Article Tier 2

Deciphering the interaction of sulfamethoxazole with biodegradable versus conventional, virgin versus aged microplastics in aquatic environment

Researchers compared how biodegradable and conventional microplastics interact with the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole in water, both before and after UV aging. They found that biodegradable polylactic acid microplastics had the highest capacity to absorb the antibiotic, and that aging generally increased absorption for all plastic types. The study suggests that microplastics in waterways may act as carriers for pharmaceutical pollutants, with biodegradable plastics potentially posing a greater transport risk than conventional ones.

2025 Journal of Environmental Sciences 4 citations